South West Coast Path: A Mad Scramble for a Room

We spent two nights in Braunton, where we discovered a bustling town center.

Our restful two nights ended in a flurry of anxiety when I discovered an email last night buried in our junk folder. Our reservation for tonight (Saturday), one that had been confirmed last February, had been canceled! Madly searching for an alternative proved fruitless Friday night, everyplace we called was booked. Finally, this morning, after some determination and creative problem solving, we found an alternative and managed to avoid a night on the park bench.

This morning the path led us out of Braunton, upstream alongside the River Taw to Barnstaple where we stopped for tea, then crossed the river, where we turned and followed the same river back downstream to Instow. Not the most inspiring walk, but the sun was shining and we knew we’d have a roof over our heads at the end of the day.

I suggested we grab a bottle of gas station wine and some KFC from the takeout next to our room. I was tired, but while I was showering Reg made other plans. “We’ll have to walk about a mile, he said, but I found a pub that looks like it might be a little better than Kentucky Fried Chicken.”

I wasn’t eager to make the almost two-mile round trip walk to dinner, but the place was awfully cute and the fish and chips delicious.

Comments

6 responses to “South West Coast Path: A Mad Scramble for a Room”

  1. We love following your trip-looks amazing and cool-California is having a HOT spell-100′ here at Allyce’s.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks for following along. It’s been warm here too…much better than rain! Say hi to Allyce, Matt and the gang!

      Like

  2. You two are impressive and I’m so glad the weather has improved! It does make such a difference, though you’re great sports about the wet days. We’re a lot lazier- couple days in Bolzono before our next hiking stint.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Certainly no more impressive than you and Greg. I’d say we’re quite a foursome!

      Like

  3. Ellen JONES Avatar
    Ellen JONES

    Not a bad place to have to sleep on a park bench, but glad you found accommodations!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I believe it is referred to as “sleeping rough” in the U.K.

      Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.